Normal
by Nellie2011
Summary: When Jem returns from Whales healthy and free of his yin fen addiction, He Will and Tessa will have to create their own definition of "normal".
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hello readers, this is a slightly different ending to CP2 that has been kicking around my brain for ages. In this story, Mortmain did not take control of the Yin Fen drug trade. Jem was injured when the automatons abducted Tessa. He did pass out but recovered in time to hear Will admit his feelings for Tessa to Magnus. He got back on his feet and joined the rest of the London shadow hunters on their rescue mission to Whales. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all things TID and TMI. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 1:

James Carstairs drifted reluctantly back to wakefulness, surfacing up through a thick trudging blackness that roiled and bubbled like tar. Muddled memories flickered through his consciousness. He groaned and thrashed as the disjointed puzzle pieces in his mind began to click into place. The mad chaos of the last twenty four hours coursed through him, turning his head into some grotesque parody of a nickelodeon picture show.

*** flash back***

_Jem blinked rapidly against the blood that seeped steadily from the cut above his right eye, obscuring his vision as he struggled against the unyielding hands upon his upper arms. He could sense Will beside him. His head slumped forward heavily as a pair of automatons flanked him, securing his arms behind his back. His dark hair was matted with blood and fell limply into his eyes. Farther along his periphery he could see the vague forms of Charlotte, Henry, Gideon, Gabriel, Magnus and the rest of Institute's small band of defenders desperately struggling against their own metallic captors. Fear bloomed like a sickness inside him as the automatons positioned them roughly before their master, a captive audience for the Magister's grotesque performance. Tessa stood before the imprisoned assembly, trapped in Axel Mortmain's grasp. _

"_Such a waste Ms. Gray. I offer you wealth, marriage and a family of your own yet you refuse my generosity for these murderous tyrants." He sighed. _

"_I understand the pain you feel over losing your parents, but destroying the shadow hunters is not justice. Fighting and bloodshed cannot bring about healing and peace." She pleaded, but knew full well that her entreaties were useless. _

"_On that point, my dear, we will have to agree to disagree. Eventually you will learn to defer to my judgment, as a good wife should." He sighed. "I am getting ahead of myself though. First, I shall have to deal with our unwanted guests." _

"_No!" Tessa cried. She lunged desperately away from him, writhing, scratching and clawing with all her might. _

"_I will not tolerate such insolence!" Mortmain bellowed. One of his huge hands gripped both of her wrists tightly behind her back while the other pressed a small gleaming blade securely to her throat. Her terrified expression shifted and fixed upon the weapon. With a sudden ringing slap across Tessa's face, he tossed her to the floor. She landed limp and motionless against the rough stone. _

"_Tessa!" Jem could hear himself screaming for her, but his words were lost amid the struggling and shouting of the other captives. _

"_Silence!" Mortmain bellowed. He waved his hand in a sharp flick and the automatons moved as one, forcing their prisoners to their knees. _

_The jagged bits of roughhewn gravel that covered ground cut into the tattered leather of Jem's gear like shards of glass. Every muscle in his body tensed and fought against the restraining grip about his arms. He had to move, had to protect her. He was her best chance for help. He was closest to her, so close he could almost feel the faint brush of her fingertips as she lay sprawled against the stone like a rag doll. _

_Suddenly, Tessa's eyes fluttered open. She drifted weightlessly to her feet, as though she were being lifted by the tide of some great ocean. She drew in a ragged breath and the world exploded. White searing light blazed up, engulfing the chamber. Her form dissolved, morphed until the girl that he loved was no longer recognizable. The light burned through him, eating him up with hungry licking flames that left an empty sinking abyss in their wake. He fought against the pyre, clung to consciousness by the shredded tips of his fingers, but his grip failed and he plunged, spiraling into the unknowable blackness._

*** end flash back***

"Jem" a familiar gravelly voice called from the chair beside his bed. "Jem, you are truly well now. Come back to us."

"Will" he croaked "Will what's happened? Tessa and the others, are they alright?"

"I am here." whispered a soft voice that nearly brought him to tears. "We have returned home to the institute."

"Tessa" he whispered her name like a prayer. Relief, warm and sweet coursed through him as she sat next to him upon the bed. She reached out to him, her fingertips a reassuring brush against his cheek. "Charlotte and the baby, Cecily, Sophie, the others …Were they hurt?"

"All members of our little rescue party are safe. There were minor injuries but Magnus and the silent brothers have been more than able to treat them." Will promised. "Sleep now. There will be time enough to fret over everyone else once you have regained your own strength."

"Thank God" he sighed. Will's assurance was enough to let him rest and he already felt himself giving in to the crushing exhaustion that pulled at him like lead.

*** time skip ***

Jem was alone when he woke next, giving his few previous moments of drifting awareness a hauntingly ethereal quality. He blinked, bringing the familiarities of his bedroom into focus. The sharp scent of rosin from his violin case, tucked safely in his bedside bureau. The bright chatter of the family of larks that nested in the elm tree just outside his window. The heavy crimson brocade of the curtains that hung from his four-poster bed, disheveled and mussed from his fitful slumber. Most days he relied on the constant quiet litany of these sensations. He was certain, however, that calming his jagged nerves would not be so easy today.

He could not shake the sense that he had only dreamed his brief conversations with Will and Tessa. He was over whelmed with the need to see them again. To make their safe keeping solid in his mind now that the fog surrounding it had begun to lift. He rose with steady determination into a sitting position. Much to his surprise, the room did not begin to spin, his stomach did not begin to churn and his head did not begin to ache. Jem was emboldened enough by this progress to hoist himself out of the bed and onto his feet. Carefully, he slipped into his dressing gown. Collecting his cane for good measure, he set off towards Will's room. He proceeded slowly at first but steadily gained confidence with each step.

He'd only traveled about half way to his destination when he caught sight of his reflection in a window pane along the outside wall, the evening's inky blackness turning the glass into a mirror. His first instinct was to look over his shoulder, but no one was standing behind him. He tentatively reached a hand up to run his fingers through his hair and watched with a miraculously horrified sort of amazement as the reflection in the window did the same. How were these changes to his physical appearance possible? What did they mean? His cane slipped from his fingers. His breathing became sharp and shallow as his thoughts swirled and sputtered.

"Jem!" Will called, rousted from his bedroom by the clattering of the cane against the floorboards. "Are you alright? You should not be up and about yet."

"My eyes, they are… The yin fen … I thought that the damage was irreparable, but …" Jem's entire body was trembling. The deep brown orbs staring back at him could not be his own, despite the fact that they were the exact shape and shade they had been when he was a child. The midnight black tresses that he saw in the glass could not belong to him either. He was desperately trying to surface from the murky depths of his confusion. "Will, what happened to me?"

"Come with me." Will offered, guiding his Pārbati down the hall and into his own bedroom. He gently but firmly directed Jem into one of the two overstuffed arm chairs that dominated the far right corner. "Sit down so that we may talk."

"I do not understand." Jem puzzled, staring blankly as Will settled himself into the seat opposite him. "The drugs turned my hair and eyes silver years ago. What could have made them change back now?"

"It was Tessa." Will explained. "She saved us all. She used her abilities to become the angel Ithuriel. She used his power, the very fire of heaven, to kill Mortmain with nothing more than a touch of her hand. I saw you reaching out to her just as she changed and I think you must have gotten hold of her. We were all standing near-by but none of the rest of us were so affected by it. No one else was close enough to touch her."

"I remember the stories…" Jem whispered. The parables of angels punishing the wicked and pardoning the righteous were among the first lessons taught to shadow hunter children.

"Spare the good and smite the wicked." Will agreed, their thoughts in alignment as always. "You are so pure of heart that the fire could not consume you. It purified you instead and burned away everything that the yin fen had tainted. You have been measured, but it is not shock to me that heaven itself could not find you wanting."

"And Tessa, she remains well?" Jem hedged. "The transformation did not affect her in any ill manner?"

"She was tired, but has rested well. She seems fully restored aside from worrying over you." Will assured him.

"That is good." Jem sighed. Assured now that Tessa and Will remained stable, he slowly relaxed. As his initial panic receded Jem began to notice that Will's room was oddly sparse. Shirts, coats, trousers and were missing from his wardrobe and the books that were normally strewn about his bedside table were absent. Finally, he realized that the large steamer trunk at the foot of Will's bed lay open and was overflowing with the necessaries of extended travel.

"Are you packing?" Jem asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I am leaving London tomorrow." Will replied, unsuccessful in his attempt to sound confident.

"Without telling me. Where are you going?" Jem growled. His anger was violent, sudden and very unlike Jem.

"Spain." Will answered. "The Madrid institute is receiving visitors. Gideon was kind enough to make the arrangements for me."

"Jem, I must go. You are healthy and well for the first time in your life and you are engaged to be married. This is why I sought so desperately to break you free of the yin fen, so that you could live a long and happy life with the woman we both love." Will was pleading now, his voice ragged with emotion. "You love Tessa and she loves you. Your happiness and hers both mean more to me than my own selfish nature. I beg you, please do not ask me to stay."

"William, I understand the pain it would cause you to stand aside, to watch me marry Tessa and build a life with her. I know that you do not wish to hurt either of us by pressing your suit. I ask you to consider my position as well. Do you truly think that I could be content to marry Tessa knowing the suffering it would cause you?" Jem chided. "Do you think it would not cause me pain to know that you felt the need to leave your home because of me? "

"That is why I must go. I do not wish to remain here only cause to all three of us more anguish. Leaving will be painful, but it is the only right choice left to me."

"And what of my choice in the matter?" An angry female voice replied.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Hello Readers!

Chapter 2 has arrived! I'd like to send out a big thank you for all of the review/follow/favorite support! I'm really trying hard to update once per week and your feedback makes for great motivation.

This chapter is little dialogue heavy but it was necessary to move things along. Still, I hope you'll all like it and review to let me know how I'm doing

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all thinks TID and TMI. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 2

"Tessa, please try to understand …" Will pleaded as she entered the room, settling regally into the ornately carved high-backed chair adjacent to a matching writing desk, every bit the queen ascending her throne. Her stern eyes were blazing with accusation, Will clearly having been found guilty of treason against the crown.

"I think I understand you perfectly William Herondale." She began, her voice eerily calm "You have graciously decided to take a decision that drastically effects the course of my life completely out of my hands for my own good. Have I missed something?"

"My actions are not yours to dictate Tessa." Rising to his feet, Will began pacing. "I have the right to leave the institute if I choose to. Going to Spain, with what little of my heart is left to me, it is the only way I see of being fair to you and to Jem and to myself. I am leaving, a choice I know I will struggle with, because know that I cannot survive staying here to watch you and Jem build a life that could never truly be part of."

"You tried to run away from your problems when you thought you were cursed William Herondale, and it only made the situation worse. Why are you so eager to make the same mistake?" Tessa snapped, two pairs of blue eyes shot daggers at each other.

"Tessa, Will, Please calm down." Jem soothed. "We must keep our heads now if we are to resolve anything. Can we not discuss the future rationally, as three adults who care about each other and wish to keep one another's best interests at heart?"

Tessa and Will grudgingly fell silent

"I'd like to ask you something then Will and I need you to answer me honestly." Jem intreated.

"Ask, and I will answer." Will agreed.

"Do you doubt that Tessa loves you simply because she loves me as well?"

"No, I do not doubt her affection for either of us." Will admitted. His eyes locked with Tessa's, but there was not anger in them now.

"Has knowing that Tessa loves us both caused you to love her less?" Jem pressed

"No, I do not think I could love her as I do if she did not care for you as she does." Will admitted.

"I feel the same way. Knowing that Tessa loves you has only made me love her more." Jem agreed.

"What is the purpose of your questioning Jem?" Tessa asked, puzzled.

"Tessa, I have loved you with every fiber of my being from the moment that we met and I trust that you return my affection. Knowing that you love Will as well and that he loves you in return has not changed that. I think the reason that my feelings for you have remained unaltered stems from the bond that Will and I share. I love him as I love my own soul and his happiness is dear to me as yours and my own. I do not see a reason for two of us to exclude the other."

"Jem, are you suggesting that we… that all three of us attempt to carry on a romantic relationship." Tessa's eyes widened.

"Why should we not?" Jem shrugged. "You forget that I have not always lived in England. In Shanghai it was quite common for a man to take more than one lover at a time and not all of them sought only female companionship. I see no need for the three of us to deny each other in this situation."

"James, I do not doubt the bond that has ever existed between us." Will interjected. "We have been kindred spirits from our first meeting, but I have never considered it more than a familial affection. You and I are Pārbati under shadow hunter law. A romantic relationship between us would be forbidden by the clave."

"Certain lines of intimacy need not be directly crossed between the two of us if that is your wish Will. We would not, technically, have to go against the clave's mandate as concerns our oaths as Pārbati." Jem suggested.

'I …well …" Will stammered, set thoroughly off balance by Jem's directness. He still could not seem to wrap his head around the proposition. After a long moment, he finally composed himself enough to speak coherently.

"Jem has clearly stated his point of view, but I will not consider this if you are against it Tessa. What are your thoughts? " Will asked, deciding he had no desire to incur Tessa's wrath by shutting her out of a decision again.

"I am certain that if I tried to choose between you both it would destroy all three of us. I have no wish to lose either of you." Tessa whispered, misty gray eyes finding oceanic first blue and then earthy brown. "We, more than any other people I have known, care for each other enough to find happiness in such an arrangement. I am willing to try."

"Then I am resolved to stay and to pursue this." Will concluded. "Even if the whole ordeal ends painfully, I will at least know that we have tried. Trying to love each other, even if we cannot all be happy together in the end, is better than a lifetime of wondering what could have been."

"That leaves us with the issue of marriage." Jem began hesitantly "My dearest Tessa, loath as I am to end our engagement, I am afraid that we must. Three people may not legally enter into wedded union and a marriage between only the two of us would undermine our whole attempt."

"I understand and I do not need a marriage certificate to tell me that I love you both." She replied "And besides, there is a very beneficial consequence of not having a wedding."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Jem asked, crossing to the night table to pour himself a tumbler of water. He regarded her quizzically as her raised the glass to his lips.

"We need not wait for a wedding ceremony to have our wedding night." Tessa and Will both dissolved into laughter as water sputtered from Jems lips, his eyes widened with shock and water doused the front of his shirt.

"If you wanted us out of our clothes Tessa, you only needed to ask." Will smirked. "What say you Jem?"

"Well, that would certainly be one way to determine whether or not we have gotten in over our heads." Jem huffed, still attempting to recover himself. "I will not make the lady ask twice"

"The hour has grown quite late and we are all in need of rest tonight. I suggest that we meet back here in my room tomorrow evening, once the rest of the household has retired?" Will suggested.

"Until tomorrow night then." Tessa grinned. She rose, placing a light kiss to each of their cheeks, and swept from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Soooo sorry that this update took so long. This semester has been a killer. Thanks so much again, to all of you who took the time to review, follow and favorite this story! I've tried to keep this chapter rated T. I'm not sure exactly where draws the line between T and M material, but I've tried not to cross it here. I would, however, consider an M rated outtake if there is interest. Please review or PM me if you'd like to see more of all the juicy details. **

_Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all things TID and TMI. No copyright Infringement intended._

Chapter 3

The first thing that Will became aware of was warmth. He woke enveloped in a vast expanse of flushed skin. Tessa's soft curves were tucked tightly against his chest as the steady strength of Jem's arms wound around his torso. He burrowed contentedly in to the embrace, the three of them tangled together like puppies in a pile. In the light of morning, the entire experience of the previous night still seemed surreal to him.

A wide Cheshire grin spread across his face as he allowed himself to be pulled under, reliving the sensations anew. Smell. The sweet floral scent of Tessa tinted with the exotic spicy scent that was uniquely Jem tickling his nose. Touch. Hesitant caresses that soon became desperate embraces which engulfed him in an inferno of lips and hands on bare his skin, his body so responsive that he seemed to feel them everywhere all at once. Taste. Tessa's lips, richer than melting chocolate, laced with the crisp tang of Jem as they moved against his in a steady rhythm. Their bodies were soon lost to the pull of instinct, moving together in a haze of pleasure until there was no telling where one stopped and the others began. They plunged headlong into the inescapable rush, clinging to each other as they burst through the maelstrom. Even in the full light of morning, the memories were still overwhelming.

Will stretched out lazily onto his back. His gaze drifted to Jem, who fixed him with a purposeful look. He knew the man too well to miss his unspoken question. "Do you regret it?" his Pārbati was asking. Will met that steady gaze, not needing to reply with words. He simply let all the love and happiness that he felt shine out through his eyes. Jem's answering grin had him fighting down a blush.

No, he thought, he could never bring himself to regret the physical expression of the love that existed so effortlessly between the three of them. In fact, He had been pleasantly surprised at how naturally they had come together. Tessa, Jem and Will himself had all been virgins before last night. That realization had scared Will more than a little, though he never would have admitted it. His fears, as it turned out, were completely unfounded. In the end the three of them coming together had felt as necessary and natural as breathing.

"Hhhmmm. Good morning boys." Tessa sighed. She smiled up at Will, still refusing to open her eyes. The tips of her fingers lightly traced the rune directly above his heart while her other hand stretched across him to lightly brush Jem's cheek.

"I'd say it's already more than good." Jem chuckled, placing a kiss to Tessa's wrist as his fingertips ran gently up Will's arm. Tessa blushed and Will chuckled in agreement.

"I think we can make it even better." Tessa smirked. She wiggled and shifted playfully, maneuvering herself between the two men. Jem and Will grinned wickedly at each other, both eager to accept the challenge.

***NORMAL ***

Gabriel Lightwood moved quietly and swiftly through the corridors of the institute. He still did not quite understand how he had convinced himself to volunteer for the task of seeking out Will, Jem and Tessa when they had not appeared at the breakfast table. The only explanation for his momentary bought of madness was the fact that he'd been powerless against Cecily's concern over her brother's absence. After all, one member of the house hold missing breakfast could be excused as a lie-in but three absent individuals was cause for concern. Gabriel could not help feeling a bit put upon by the necessity of the errand and, deciding that he owed Will's lazy behavior no courtesy, proceeded to open the door to the younger boy's bedroom without announcing himself.

"Out of bed Herondale! I …" a feminine squeal halted him mid-sentence.

"Gabriel!" Tessa shrieked as she vanished completely behind a pile of pillows.

Gabriel froze where he stood, attempting to make sense of the scene before him. Will, Jem and Tessa were a jumble of bare flesh and frenzied limbs, each frantically fighting to find cover beneath the duvet.

"By the angel Lightwood!" Will grumbled, moving to block the other man's view of the Tessa shaped pillow mountain with his own shirtless torso. "You could have knocked."

"Well … I …that is to say …" Gabriel stammered "You were missed earlier at breakfast." As if to emphasize his point, the grandfather clock in the hallway began to chime 11 AM.

"Good lord, is that the time. No wonder we were missed!" Jem laughed, slipping from the bed as he proceeded to collect and don his shirt and trousers. "We did not intend to cause the rest of the household unnecessary worry Gabriel. Please tell them that we shall all be down stairs momentarily." The top of Tessa's head emerged from her fort, only long enough to fix Jem with a scathing glance.

"Tessa dear, I am sorry for the embarrassment this little scene has surely caused you, but we could hardly have kept things quiet forever." Soothed Jem. "Besides, I do not think that the three of us need to fear ill judgment from the others regarding our affection for each other."

"Yes …well, there may be no need to hide the attachment between the three of us, but there is no need to herald details that would compromise anyone's modesty." Will said sternly, his piercing blue eyes cutting through Gabriel like ice set on fire. "Are we in agreement Lightwood?"

"Never fear Herndale. I am just as eager to put this little encounter behind us as the three of you are." Gabriel assured him, turning for the door with a smirk. "I do, however, hope that you will save this memory away for future reference. I expect you to find it particularly helpful in trying not to make my life more difficult than need be when I ask your sister to marry me someday."

Gabriel could not help the self-satisfied smile that lit up his face at Will's answering plaintive groan as the door shut behind him.


End file.
